Knitwear designer and knitting blogger – Shortrounds

Reading challenge achieved

I cannot believe we’re at the end of the year and I’ve actually followed through on my reading challenge. Not only have I followed through on it, mid-year I upped the number of books I’d read in 2016 by a further 10!

I don’t know about any other knitters out there, but I struggled to balance my love of knitting with my passion for reading books! In previous years I have read a pitiful number of novels, choosing to spend most of my free time knitting and crafting.

But that has all changed this year.

Determined to turn this ship around, I set myself the task of reading 20 books in 2016 – a feat I quickly accomplished by month six. I was so surprised that I’d read so much and so quickly, that I increased my challenge total to 30!

And here we are, with two weeks to go until the end of 2016 – 30 books read!

Taking the challenge online

I’ve used the incredible Goodreads app and website, along with a handy subscription to Audible to help me ‘read’ more. Both of these online tools have really helped me keep track with my challenge.

Goodreads.com is a great place to look up reviews, explore other peoples’ reading lists to find books you might also like. Once you mark a book as read it goes into your ‘Finished’ list, so it’s a great way to track your previous reads.

I love Audible’s ‘stats’ feature – it tells you how many hours per day, month and year you’ve been reading, and you can earn achievements by listening through Audible.

To look back at the previous 20 books I’ve read this year, check out this post and this post.

And rounding out the challenge quite nicely, here are my final 10 books of 2016.

The Walking Dead, Vol 2: Miles Behind Us – Robert Kirkman

What did I think: I love reading these graphic novels. They are quick to get through and really entertaining. I’ve read another four of these in the last six months and loved each and every one.
How did I ‘read’ it: Libary
My Goodreads rating: *****

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J K Rowling

What did I think: Aaahh, my favourite Harry Potter novel. It’s all about Sirius Black people! Stephen Fry yet again brings the novel to life in this Audible recording. I’m really enjoying making my way through the series again with Mr Fry by my side.
How did I ‘read’ it: Audible
My Goodreads rating: *****

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

What did I think: Wanting to try an original novel, that I had no prior knowledge of, this book came up as recommended on my Audible feed, so I instantly gave it a go. I really enjoyed it, it was magical and exciting/shocking in places. There is a romantic storyline woven through it, and the only reason I didn’t give this five stars is down to the fact that I didn’t feel as strongly as I’d have liked towards them both by the end of the book. Nevertheless, it was a great read from start to finish!
How did I ‘read’ it: Audible
My Goodreads rating: ****

The Walking Dead, Vol 3: Safety Behind Bars – Robert Kirkman

What did I think: More zombies! This time the crew all end up in the prison (if you’re a fan of The Walking Dead AMC TV series you’ll know how anticipated this part is) and sh*t goes down! A great read.
How did I ‘read’ it: Library
My Goodreads rating: *****

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert

What did I think: I borrowed this book after reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat. Pray. Love. I enjoyed this career advice book a lot, and found quite a lot of it applicable to both my full-time job and my side-project of Shortrounds. A great, motivational read for anyone looking for that little push to go it on their own, or in need of a pep talk!
How did I ‘read’ it: Borrowed from a friend
My Goodreads rating: ****

The Walking Dead, Vol 4: The Heart’s Desire – Robert Kirkman

What did I think: What can I say, more zombies! A quick read, with pictures – winner.
How did I ‘read’ it: Library
My Goodreads rating: ****

Knitlandia – Clara Parkes

What did I think: A must-read for any knitter. I thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of this novel by Clara Parkes. Each chapter is a stand alone story, so it’s a great one for if you’ve not got a lot of time to read. My favourite chapter by far saw Clara travelling to Iceland! Such an inspiring read.
How did I ‘read’ it: Audible
My Goodreads rating: ****

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J K Rowling

What did I think: The Tri-Wizard cup! This is one of the longest, but most rewarding of Harry Potter novels. I love every moment of rereading this novel. It has been years since I’ve picked this instalment up and was surprised at how much had been left out of the film (being over 700 pages there’s no wonder).
How did I ‘read’ it: Audible
My Goodreads rating: *****

The Letter – Kathryn Hughes

What did I think: This was a nice read. A break from my norm, but it was just a nice read. The idea is great, and I can see why people call this a heartbreaking romance novel. There are two timelines, and everything is connected by one single letter. It’s a bit of a mystery, but the way the storyline is revealed just lacked something for me. Overall I enjoyed it, but it didn’t grip me as much as similar novels such as ‘Atonement’.
How did I ‘read’ it: Audible
My Goodreads rating: ***

The Walking Dead, Vol 5: The Best Defense – Robert Kirkman

What did I think: I really wanted to end the year on a new and original novel. New Year’s resolution, read more novels. However, I didn’t have the time to dedicate to a longer read, what with Christmas looming and having no spare time. So I returned to my trusted and faithful Walking Dead volumes. I have to say, I unknowingly picked a good one to end the year on. Big things go down in this one, and key plot points from the TV series are covered in this absolute humdinger of a volume. Loved this one!
How did I ‘read’ it: Library
My Goodreads rating: *****

Got an appetite for a new read? Check out this article on the best books of 2016. And stay tuned before the end of the year to hear my plans for amping up the reading challenge for 2017.